Ballroom Dancing for People With Multiple Sclerosis: Perceptions of the Experience

Background: Multiple sclerosis (MS) encompasses various symptoms, including fatigue, pain, spasticity, motor dysfunction, postural instability, sexual and bladder dysfunction, and cognitive impairment. Despite the documented benefits of exercise for alleviating MS symptoms, adherence to physical activity guidelines often is low, resulting in sedentary lifestyles among people with MS. This qualitative study explores the experiences of individuals with MS who participated in a ballroom dance intervention.

Methods: Thirteen community-dwelling individuals with MS participated in five 1-hour focus group sessions as part of a larger ballroom dance study. The Framework Method, utilizing NVivo qualitative analysis software, was applied to verbatim transcripts.

Results: Four themes emerged. (1) Physical and psychological benefits: Ballroom dance improved perceived symptoms, including strength, endurance, coordination, and balance, as well as reduced fatigue and alleviated depression. (2) Positive social support leading to enjoyment/fun: Ballroom dance fostered positive support and served as an enjoyable activity, including for couples. (3) Improved confidence: The dance intervention instilled confidence in physical abilities and emotional well-being. (4) Physical and social facilitation of activity: Ballroom dancing facilitated activity because partners were able to assist when fatigue or balance issues occurred, and the intervention provided social acceptability.

Conclusions: Recreational ballroom or social dance was well tolerated, and individuals with MS and researchers perceived it as beneficial as it led to positive physical and psychological changes. This partnered social dance intervention provided an emotionally and physically supportive environment, improved confidence, and facilitated activity. This study contributes to the understanding of the potential of recreational ballroom dancing to promote physical activity and well-being among people who are living with MS.